Soon-to-be-indicted war criminal Bezalel Smotrich welcomed in New York City

Sickening. Look who’s been welcomed to the US for New York City’s Israel Day Parade — none other than Israel’s far-right minister, Bezalel Smotrich, the driver of savagely increased settler violence in the West Bank.

In April 2024, as the Israeli government, having laid waste to most of the Gaza over the preceding seven months, was planning its assault on Rafah, in the south, Smotrich called for "total annihilation" and "no half measures", making reference, as Benjamin Netanyahu had before him, to the biblical commandment to "blot out the remembrance of Amalek.”

The reference to Amalek, a key incitement in Israel’s genocidal intentions, refers to the prophet Samuel, allegedly conveying the words of God to King Saul, saying, “Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.”

In August 2024, Smotrich caused further outrage by stating that “no one in the world will allow us to starve two million people, even though it might be justified and moral in order to free the hostages” seized on October 7, 2023.

Just two weeks ago, it was revealed that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking a well-deserved arrest warrant for Smotrich, for forced displacement as a crime against humanity and a war crime, the transfer of Israel’s own population as a war crime, and persecution and apartheid as crimes against humanity.

But today, he was welcomed in New York City, marching with the US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and other far-right Israeli lawmakers and US politicians, with Haaretz joining a chorus of complaints that the Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, failed to attend.

Shame on them, and bravo, Mayor Mamdani. No one should attend any event attended by a monster like Smotrich.

See the link below for my article, “Israel Approves Lawless Show Trials and Mass Executions for Palestinians Seized on Oct. 7, 2023”, which included discussion of the proposed arrest warrant for Bezalel Smotrich.